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Technical Diver Level 2
Purpose
The GUE Technical Diver 2 (Tech 2) course is the second in a series of
three courses designed to develop technical diving excellence, building
upon previously learned skills with a focus on extending essential
technical diving skills. Tech 2 training focuses on building
diving proficiency at increasing depth to 240 feet/70 meters using
Helium diving gases with Oxygen enriched decompression gases. These
skills include: the use of multiple stages, the use of Trimix, the use
of greater percentages of Helium, gas management, Oxygen management,
decompression, accelerated, omitted and general decompression
strategies, dive planning, and technical equipment configurations.
Course participants will gain experience working with a variety of
different gas mixtures for use as bottom mix and multiple decompression
gases. This course culminates in a true understanding of "best
gas" selection in the 100 foot/30 meter to 250 foot/75 meter range.
Prerequisites
1. Must meet GUE General Course Prerequisites :
The following are prerequisites for all GUE Courses (any additional
and/or course specific course prerequisite, as well as any deviations
from the following, will be listed under the appropriate section of the
specific course):
- Must submit a
completed registration form, medical history, and liability release to
GUE Headquarters.
- Must be physically and mentally fit.
- Must hold DAN Master level insurance or equivalent.
- Must be a nonsmoker.
- Must obtain a physician's
prior written authorization for the use of prescription drugs,
except for birth control, or for a prior medical condition that
may pose a risk while diving. A partial list of such conditions
may be found on GUE's medical history form; if a student answers
in the affirmative to any of these, they must obtain a
physician's approval to dive and disclose this to their GUE
instructor before the onset of training. Physician approval
for a specific condition is valid for one year from the date it
is given assuming there are no further changes to the student's
medical conditions.
- Must be CPR/First Aid trained (except for DIR Fundamentals).
2. Must be a minimum of 21 years of age
3. Must be GUE DIR Fundamentals and GUE Tech 1 qualified
4. Must have a minimum of
200 logged dives, with at least fifty (50) dives on double
tanks/cylinders; twenty-five (25) of these should have utilized a
single stage
5. Must have a
minimum of twenty-five (25) dives beyond Technical Diver Level 1
qualification
6. Must be able to
swim a distance of at least 60 feet/18 meters on a breath hold
7. Must be able to
swim at least 400 yards/365 meters in less than 12 minutes without
stopping. This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where
necessary, appropriate thermal protection.
Duration
The Tech 2 class is normally conducted over a 5-day period. It
involves a minimum of forty (40) hours of instruction, encompassing
both classroom and in-water work.
Course Limits
1. General Training Limits as outlined in Section 1.4
2. Student to
instructor ratio is not to exceed 3:1 during any in-water training
3. Maximum depth 240 feet (+/- 10 feet)/70 meters (+/- 3 meters)
4. No overhead environment diving (excepting decompression)
Course Content
The GUE Tech 2 course is normally conducted over a 5-day period, and
cumulatively involves a minimum of forty (40) hours of instruction,
designed to instill in divers a working knowledge of extended range
diving; including physiology, tables and logistics. Special emphasis is
placed on extended exposures and on their associated considerations
(gas consumption, DCS, Oxygen toxicity, and thermal concerns).
Course requirements include a minimum of six (6) hours of academics,
and eight (8) dives, four (4) of which will be critical skill dives and
four (4) will be experience dives. Four (4) dives must utilize Helium.
Required Training Materials
1. Doing it Right:
The Fundamentals of Better Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001,
High Springs, Florida.
2. Getting Clear on
the Basics: The Fundamentals of Technical Diving. Jarrod
Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.
Academic Topics
1. GUE organization
2. Limits of training
3. Course completion requirements
4. Review of decompression, gas utilization and risk, diving physiology
5. Accelerated, omitted, and general decompression strategies
6. Dive logistics and planning
Land Drills & Topics
1. Spool, reel, and guideline use
2. Dive team order and protocols
3. Gas switching procedures and protocols
4. Bottom, stage, and decompression bottle use
Required Dive Skills & Drills
1. All skills and drills as outlined in General Diving Skills:
General Diving Skills
With the exception of DIR Fundamentals, GUE courses must all ensure
proficiency in the following diving skills; a final grade of three (3)
(satisfactory) or better is required to demonstrate the requisite skill
in each. Any other and/or course specific skills, as well as any
deviation from a particular diving skill, will be listed under the
appropriate section for the specific course. DIR Fundamentals has
a more restricted skill set, one outlined in section 2.1.2.9.
- Demonstrate
proficiency in safe diving practices; this would include pre-dive
preparation, in-water activity, and post-dive assessment.
- Demonstrate
awareness of team member location and a concern for safety,
responding quickly to visual cues and dive partner requirements.
- Efficiently and
comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver
in multiple gas-sharing episodes, with one or more of these to
include a distance of at least 30 feet/9 meters.
- Demonstrate a
comfortable demeanor while swimming for at least 100 feet/30
meters, without a mask, while gas-sharing.
- Be able to
comfortably demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques that would
be appropriate in delicate and/or silty environments.
- Demonstrate
knowledge of dive rescue techniques, including effective management of
the following situations: assisting a convulsing diver and an
unconscious diver.
- Demonstrate a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training.
All GUE instructors are encouraged to exceed minimum training standards
when by doing so they are promoting the best interests of the student.
Instructors are actively encouraged to deny qualification to students
when students have not met the standards of the certification level
they are pursuing to the satisfaction of the instructor.
2. Review procedures
for gas failures; including valve manipulation, gas-sharing, and
regulator switching (as appropriate).
3. Effectively and
comfortably demonstrate the ability to deploy a lift bag/surface
marker buoy in less than two minutes while hovering stationary.
Participants should not vary in depth more than 5 feet/1.5 meters.
4. Demonstrate the clean
and effective removal and exchange of multiple stages and
decompression bottles while hovering horizontal. The participant
must be capable of removing and replacing each of at least two
bottles in less than one minute, i.e. one minute per bottle.
5. Be able to comfortably
demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques appropriate for
delicate and/or silty environments.
6. Equipment familiarization.
7. Gas-sharing
scenarios to include gas-sharing for at least 200 feet/60 meters.
8. Demonstrate the
effective deployment of a reserve light in less than 30 seconds.
9. Demonstrate
excellent buoyancy control skills, including when conducting stage
and decompression gas switches.
10. Demonstrate effective valve-management.
Equipment Requirements
Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment.
1.
Tanks/Cylinders: Students are required to use dual
tanks/cylinders connected with a dual outlet isolator manifold,
which allows for the use of two first-stages. All dives must start with
a minimum of 80 cubic feet/2250 liters of gas. Also
required are two decompression cylinders: one (1) greater than 30 cubic
feet/850 liters for Nitrox and one (1) 30 cubic feet/850 liters,
or greater, for an additional deco gas.
2. Regulators: Two
first-stages, each supplying a single second-stage. One of the
second-stages must be on a 7-foot/2-meter hose. One of the first-stages
must supply a pressure gauge and provide inflation for a dry suit
(where applicable). One first-stage regulator for shallow
decompression gas and one first-stage regulator for
travel/decompression gas; each one is to supply a single second-stage
and a single pressure gauge.
3. Backplate
System: A rigid and flat platform, of metal construction
with minimal padding, held to a diver by one continuous piece of
nylon webbing. This webbing should be adjustable through the
plate and should use a buckle to secure the system at the waist.
A crotch strap attached to the lower end of this platform and
looped through the waistband would prevent the system from riding up
a diver's back. A knife should be secured to the waist on the
left webbing tab. This webbing should support five D-rings; the
first should be placed at the left hip, the second should be
placed in line with a diver's right collarbone, the third should
be placed in line with the diver's left collarbone, the fourth and
fifth should be affixed to the crotch strap to use while
scootering or towing/stowing gear. The harness below the diver's
arms should have small restrictive bands to allow for the
placement of reserve light powered by three in-line c-cell
batteries (where necessary). The system should retain a
minimalist approach with no unnecessary components.
4. Buoyancy Compensation
Device: A diver's buoyancy compensation device should be
back-mounted and minimalist in nature. It should come free of
extraneous strings, tabs, or other material. There should be no
restrictive bands or "bungee" of any sort affixed to the buoyancy
cell. In addition, diver lift should not exceed
80lbs. Wing size and shape should be appropriate to the cylinder
size(s) employed for training.
5. At least one depth-measuring device
6. One timekeeping device
7. Decompression tables
8. Survey compass
9. Mask and fins: Mask should be low volume; fins should be rigid, non-split
10. At least one cutting device
11. Wet Notes
12. One spool with 100 feet/30 meters of line per diver
13. One primary reel per team, with a minimum of 300 feet/90 meters of line
14. One primary
light: A primary light should be minimalist in design; its
power source should consist of a rechargeable battery pack residing in
a canister powering an external light head via a light
cord. Primary lights should produce the equivalent output
of 50 watt halogen/10 watt HID lighting or greater.
15. Two reserve lights:
Reserve lights should be non-rechargeable in-line three c-cell
battery lights with a minimum of protrusions and a single
attachment at its rear. The light should be activated by twisting
the front bezel towards the body, deactivated by turning it away
from the body.
16. Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure.
17. At least one surface marker buoy per diver.
Note: Prior to the commencement of class, students should consult with
a GUE representative to verify equipment requirements. Whether or not a
piece of equipment fulfills GUE's equipment requirement remains at the
discretion of GUE and its instructor representatives.
Participants are responsible for providing all equipment or for making
provisions to secure all necessary equipment before the start of the
course. In general, it is better for the student to learn while using
his or her own equipment. However, students should exercise
caution before purchasing new equipment to avoid acquiring substandard
equipment. Please contact a GUE representative prior to making any
purchases. Information about recommended equipment can be obtained from
the equipment considerations section of GUE's web site.
info@portofinodivers.com
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